After reuniting in this place, the duo continued their way to the maze. They could've run there but it would've been a waste of energy that could be evaded. They still had a long time before anyone could reach that place so there was no need to rush.
Even more than that, running in these corridors will be akin to suicide. The traps were totally unexpected and could take anyone by surprise if he isn't careful.
"Hmm, it seems that the number of contestants got reduced by a lot," Acht commented casually.
The reason for that statement is that they didn't stumble upon one single person during the few minutes they have been walking through the maze. In fact, they didn't hear any noises coming from a fight or someone getting caught in a trap.
But, that didn't ring any dangerous bells in their heads since if the number became very small, it would be very hard to meet anyone in this huge place.
'Hm?'
However, even though it was a smooth sail until now, that didn't last long as Acht sensed something very weird.
He looked at the wall beside him and swiped on it with his hand casually.
"Can you sense it?" He asked Tania.
"Hm?" She was confused at first and then she shook her head.
"The walls….they are losing soul energy at a rapid pace." He said with a serious look.
Was it not for his extremely sensitive body that could discern soul force from a very long distance after leveling up continuously, he would've never felt it since the change was very small.
He then looked up to the ceiling where the walls end and he squinted his eyes for a better view. What he was looking for is any other change in the structure of the wall.
There, he saw very small cracks spreading across the wall like small insects crawling everywhere. He had to look twice just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"The walls…they will crumble down!" He said to Tania in a hurry as he pulled her and started running. They still had a distance before they could reach the end so they needed to hurry or they would get hurried under these 15-meter-high walls.
'What is going on? Is this a malfunction in the test? Or…' He thought as he remembered a certain detail. If that was the case, then it was nothing short of a disaster. They needed to reach the center and leave this place as quickly as possible.
****************************
Outside the test, in the arena, people were oblivious to what was happening as they watched the test eagerly. There were cameras everywhere inside the maze that showed the contestants and what they were doing.
"What are those two doing?" A woman said to her husband.
"They seem to be in a hurry. They really want to win. Hahaha." He laughed casually.
Everyone basically didn't think much of their behavior since it could be interpreted as 'eager to win the competition' and 'Children and their vigor'.
But, inside the control panel of the test. The supervisors were freaking out like never before.
"Sir, the energy source of the maze has been stolen. We can't find the culprit."
"What?!" The main supervisor was shocked as he ran to the screen to see. There, the camera that showed the energy source that kept the maze intact and functioning was missing.
"Dammit! The maze is going to collapse! We need to get them out of there!" The man shouted. But, the response he got made his face go pale.
"The energy source was also the one responsible for instant teleportation. We can't get them out of there until we get the reserve energy source linked to the maze domain!" A middle-aged woman with a lab coat responded with a grave look.
"What are you waiting for?! Get the reserve energy source linked as fast as possible. If any of these contestants die, we are done for."
There were a lot of important people inside, from rich families and also royalties from small kingdoms. It was basically a catastrophe if they died. It could even start a huge war between kingdoms. And none of these supervisors will live to see that day.
"Show me the last footage before it disappeared." He said to the one responsible for controlling the cameras.
"Y-Yes!"
He then rewinded the footage and started from a few minutes before it was stolen.
There was nothing suspicious happening in there and then suddenly, a small distortion happened and the crystal ball full of energy was not there.
"Slow it down to 0.1% the normal speed." He instructed the worker.
After he rewinded the footage at that slow speed, he could finally see what was happening. A person appeared in the footage wearing a mask that resembled the night sky of dessert. They couldn't discern if it was a man or a woman since their clothes were black too.
They then grabbed the crystal, hid it in their spatial ring or whatever they had on them, and then looked directly at the camera. Their eyes were hidden behind the mask but the supervisor could feel himself freeze in fear.
Those eyes were basically looking at him. It was as if these eyes were rummaging through his soul and discovering his mind. It was the most chilling look he had ever felt in his life.
Then, they approached the camera slowly. Each step they took made the man's heartbeat skyrocket. It was as if the man fell into the illusion they created. An Illusion of horrible fear and despair.
They then said a few words that made him fall down to his knees, trembling in fear.
"Know that…Nightingale has returned." The voice was deep, hoarse, and inhuman, indicating the clear manipulation to make it impossible to distinguish whether it was a man or woman.
Then, the footage distorted again, and the camera returned to normal, showing the empty space where the crystal generator was previously put.
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